Los Banos police investigate first homicide of year
The Los Banos Police Department is investigating a homicide after a resident on Friday found in an empty lot the body of a man who had been shot to death.
Police Chief Gary Brizzee said a woman contacted dispatch about 8 a.m. to report the grim discovery in the lot at the intersection of E and Eighth streets.
Brizzee said the man, who police believe was in his late 30s or early 40s, was shot twice in the torso. Brizzee said the initial investigation indicates the man was killed about four hours before the body was discovered.
Police have not identified a motive or whether the killing involved gangs. “We do not know if it is gang-related at this point, so we are working in every direction until we know more,” Brizzee said.
Police have made a tentative identification but, Brizzee said, but the name will not be released until confirmation from the Merced County Coroner’s Office.
The California Department of Justice is assisting with the investigation.
Friday’s homicide is the first of the year in Los Banos. The last such incident occurred in December when Raymond Sevilla, 17, of Dos Palos, was gunned down near Dos Amigos Park in the 2200 block of San Luis Street.
The city had no homicides from 1999 to 2007. Since 2008, Los Banos has averaged about one homicide per year.
The death marks the 10th homicide of the year in Merced County.
Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Los Banos Police Department at (209) 827-7070, ext. 0.
To leave an anonymous crime tip call (209) 827-7070, ext. 288. If you have access to a computer and the Internet, you can also leave an anonymous tip at the Police Department’s Web page at www.losbanos.org. At the bottom of the “Contact” page, simply click on the “report graffiti and other crime” link or contact the Merced Area Crime Stoppers by telephone at (855) 725-2420 or at www.mercedareacrimestoppers.org.
This story was originally published April 24, 2015 at 5:58 PM with the headline "Los Banos police investigate first homicide of year."